Sunday, April 17, 2011

It has been 2 months since my interview with the U.S. State Department and the subsequent rejection. It was, in fact, my second attempt at a State Dept. position. Some may say three times the charm, but right now I just feel the sting of rejection.

In the process of getting my bearings, I scheduled a trip for both Hugh and I to the Yucatan. We will be flying to Merida, Mexico in May. Why Merida? Well, Merida is the capital of the Yucatan, with a rich Spanish colonial history, and a jump point into visiting the Mayan temples. But the real reason is even better than temples: the Chicxulub crater!

So, you have never heard of the Chicxulub crater? I have, because of Hugh's space study hobbie. According to Wikipedia, the Chicxulub crater is an ancient impact crater. (What is an impact crater? I had the same question, and the answers are long and detailed. I interperate these answers into this: where the earth got hit by a gigantic space rock and left a dent.) And the Chicxulub crater is the impact zone of the dinosaur extinction causation. The diameter of the impact zone is over 6 miles (10K).

So, is there anything to actually see and visit in regards to this crater? So far, it appears that for non-geologists there are hundreds of sinkholes to explore. Sinkholes, also known as cenotes, are holes or caves in the ground with exposed rocky edges containing groundwater. This section of the Yucatan Penninsula has more cenotes than anywhere else on earth (not fact checked). Sinkholes are scary places where serface people like you and me could encounter morlocks, or other strange mutants. Or maybe a journey to the center of the earth? They are connected to intricate caves that can go on for miles and miles underground that can be scuba dived and explored. Or just breifly explored with a swim.

I anticipate that the biggest draw to the area are the Mayan temples, and as we all know from the movies that the Mayan calendar ends December 21, 2012, which is closing in around us RIGHT NOW!!!

Lastly, there are flamingos. (I suspect this will be my favorice part of the trip. You get to take a boat into the Gulf of Mexico and see flocks of hot pink birds.)